COURT: P19

Court Rejects Sureties For Bail Plea

Two men and a woman who are alleged to have harboured escaped prisoner Deshwar Kishore Dutt were furthered remanded in custody today and were asked to provide suitable sureties. Magistrate Mosese Naivalu yesterday initially granted bail for Serupepeli Tuivawa, Shaheel Aman Iqbal and Arti Archana Kumar who each face one count each for harbouring Dutt on different occasions.

Serupepeli was charged with harbouring Dutt from December 20, 2017 to January 2, 2018. Shaheel Aman Iqbal and Arti Archana Kumar, who were represented by Faizal Koya, were charged with the same offence for harbouring Dutt on January 2, 2018 in Lautoka. Magistrate Naivalu bailed them with an amount of $1000, with two sureties with a like sum and that the three were to report to the nearest police station on every Monday to Friday between 6am to 6 pm, not to relocate from the respective usual place of residence and confine themselves to Lautoka only unless instructed by the court, not to interfere with any state witness, not to reoffend while on bail, daily curfew placed between 6pm to 6am and the issuance of stop departure order. Magistrate Naivalu, in his bail ruling said the more serious offence was obviously aiding and abetting.

However, Divisional Police Prosecutor West, ASP Anil Prasad objected to the sureties provided by the three accused and Magistrate Naivalu agreed.

Mr Naivalu agreed with the prosecution and refused to accept the sureties provided and remanded all three till 2pm today for the accused to provide suitable sureties. The case has been adjourned to March 19, 2018 for mention at the Lautoka Magistrate Court.

Magistrate Mosese Naivalu initially granted bail to three alleged to have harboured escapee Deshwar Kishore Dutt, but the Court rejected sureties provided by them